Apparatus for treating metallic ores



Nov. 8, 1932. E. w. BU SKETT 1,887,286

APPARATUS FOR TREATING METALLIC ORES Filed Jan; 27. 1930 INVENTOR irons Ii. EBwke/f B Y A TTORNE Y Patented Nov. 8, 1932 Ar'rnnn'rus For; TREATING METALLiC'ORES Application filed January 27, 1930; Serial 170.423586. 7

EvANsw. nusxn'rrr, or .iornrmfmlssounr.

My invention relates to apparatus for treat: ing ores containing relatively volatile metals and more particularly to apparatus including a blast furnace in which materials such 5 as zinc ores are reduced, volatilized,and condensed. I a V The ores of iron, copper and leadusually are smelted in a blast furnace, and copper and lead ores often contain zinc, the ma or 1 portion of which is volatilized and oxidized,

and thus passes out of the furnace and is lost..

Numerous attempts have been made to 2 smelt zinc ores in a blast furnace and to recover the zinc in metallic form, but up to the present time, the attempted processes have failed, largely because of the fact that the zinc passes through the means used for condensing the vapors thereof in the form of blue powder and zinc oxide, the reduction of which is prevented because of the presence of carbon dioxide. The zinc usually collected in such processes is in the form of blue powder which contains about ninety per cent zinc due to the dilution of the zinc Vapors by an excess of nitrogen, carbon dioxide andv I sulphur dioxide gases.

The principal ob ects of my invention therefore, are to effect recovery of metals in metallic form,'to minimize the effects of di- .30 oxides in the use of apparatus ofthe charac ter referred to, to reduce oxidespassed from a furnace in vapor form, to minimize the formaton of oxides in vapors of -metals, to

interpose reducing agents in a stream of metallic vapors for IdllClIlg metal oxides and'promoting recovery of metals in metallic 7 form, and to -minimize the loss of -metals passing from apparatus of this character in vapor form. V 40 Further particular objects of my invention are to effect reduction of dioxides for promoting reduction of metal oxides, to introduce a supplemental reducing agent into the reducing'medium for intensifying the reduc- 4 ing action, to carry out a condensation step with the exclusion of air for minimizing for-i mation of oxides, to pass vapors of ore re duction immediately: to a reducingmedium for minimizing formation of oxidesprior to 50, condensation of the vapors, to efi'ect' reaction between a metal oxide and a heated carbonaceous condensing medium for reducing the 1 oxide to formv molten metal and carbon monoxide, and to effect formation of carbon monoxide and hydrogento assist the reducing action forminimizinglo'sses of metals in vapor'form."

In accomplishing these andotherobjects of the invention, I have provided improved apparatus, the preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, where-, in the. single figure is a central vertical section of theapparatus. J v I i v v R ferring in deta'l to the drawing:

1 designatesa blast furnace inoluding'a' vertical wall 2, and having a feed hopper 3 at its upper end projecting downwardly 'thereinto, normally closed by a preferably conical valve 1 extending upwardly into and through the hopper. The valve is connected Q to a stem 5 pivotally, connected at its upper end to the inner end of a lever 6 pivotally supportedat .7 intermediate its ends bya bracket 8.1 A weight 9 connected to the out-1 er end of the lever is adapted-to normally maintain the valve in closed position.

The; lower portion of the furnace may be jacketed as at 10 by a water jacket preferably formed in sections andprovided with tuyeres or op eningsrll'for introduction of an air blast into the furnace. A well 12 may be formed" in the base of the furnace and provided with an outlet opening or siphon tap 18. The well is. adapted for the collection of leadwhen the apparatus is used for the reductionof ores such as zinc ore containing a substantial proportionof lead.

, Located adjacent the furnace is a suitable number of condensers communicating there- The condenser 14 is divided by a vertical wall 19 extending across the same parallel with the walls 15 and 16 in the path of vapors moving from the furnace to the condenser. The Wall extends upwardly preferably to the top of the condenser chamber, which is closed as presently described, and the bottom of the wall terminates a substantial distance above the bottom or floor 20 of the condenser,

said wall to the outer port-M11 26. Materialsuch as zinc recovered with the apparatus may besiphoned from the outer portion'26, as will be apparent. The upper edge of the Wall 23 is spaced substantially below the lower'edge' of the wall 19 to provide a liquid level in the chamber below the wall 1'9and a lateral passage between the level'ofliqu'id andthe lower edge of the wall 19;

p A body of carbonaceous material 27 is arranged in the condenser," this material being in any desired'form such ascoke or carbon.

The portion of the carbonaceous-material in the leg 21 of the conduit-adjacentthe furnace preferably extendsupwardly at least to the'top ofthe-throat 1'8; After the vapors and gases have passed through the body of. carbonaceous material in the leg 21, lateral passage, and leg 22 of the condenser, they are discharged from the condenserthrough'alat eral outlet flue 2'8- communicating with the re gae and connected to a fan (not shown) for continuously drawing vaporslat'erally from the smelting zone through the condenserand carrying away the remaining gases and vapors after the metal has been recovered therefrom.-

The legs of the conduit are adaptedto besupplied with carbonaceous material through hoppers 29' normally closed by preferably. conical valves 30 connected to stems 31, the hoppersand valves closing and sealing. the

top of the condenser chamber. The stems arepivotally connected at their upper ends as at 32 to levers-33 pivotally supported intermediate their ends as at 35 by brackets 36. /veights 87 are connected to the outer ends of'the levers to normally maintain the valves in closed posltlon and thus exclude air from the chamber.

It is desirable under some conditions to supply'steam to the condenser for the purpose of'generatinghydrogen andcarbon monoxide gases, and for thls purpose a: pipe 38 extends through one wall of the condenser below the throat as shown in the drawing. A spray head 39 may be carried by the inner end of the pipe 38, and the latter is connected to a suitable source of steam. V

The operation of the apparatus is as followszi The ore,fuel and fluxes-are charged'into the blast furnace, the fuel, for example coke, providing the heat and reducing agent for the reducing action, as will be apparent. It may be considered that three separate zones are provided within the furnace, the top zone extendin upwardly from the top of the throat 18 to the top of the material within the furnace, the centralzone extending from thefltop of the throat 18 downwardly to thetuye're's 11, and the bottom'zone lying between the tuyeres-and the well 12. I

In the action of the apparatus, substantial ly all of the reduction of the ore takes place in the-central zone, there being practically no chemical reaction in the top'zone. The'bottom zone may be for the reception of slag or other materials from which any small lead content-may be recovered in afore hearth; The well 1 2- is' employed when the ore-contains a material percentageof lead, in which case the molten lead will collect fromthe matte and slag and may be removed through the siphon tap-13 in the usual manner.

fThe' zinc, vapors passimmediately and partly in the formof zinc oxide-from the central or smelting zone laterally'into the condenser through the throat 1'8 and downwardly into the' body of carbonaceous mat'e-' rial which constitutes a 'combin'ationcondensing and reducingbody, The products of iiio combustion and othermaterials'fromtheblast furnace maintain thebodyof carbonaceous material at an elevatedtemperature,- thet'emperatureof the material adjacent the throat 18 being above the vaporizing point of the metal and sulhciently high" for the reduction a no The oxygen ofthe compound combines'with' of the zinc oxide.

the surface material-of the carbon to form carbon monoxide, and thus the zinc oxide-1s reduced and the zincis condensed bypassage over the-less heated portions of the material its affinity for oxygen and accordingly assist-sin" the reducingactionby breaking down "some of the zinc oxide. The carbon dioxide in the products ofcombustion" passing from the blastfurnace, is'reduced to carbon monoxide upon" contact with the'iheated carbonaceous: material, thus afiordingasecond source of this gas" toassist 1n the reduction of the zinc these gases together with a ne ligible' perof carbon monoxide gas to insure the complemetallic oxide escapin centage of .uncondensed vapors o metals may be taken from the flue to the bag house or any other suitable collector. I

Should the amount of metallic vapor and densation be considered excessive, an auxil iary agent such as steam may be introduced into the superheated upper portion of the material in the condenser through the pipe 38, to provide an excess of carbon monoxide, and hydrogen. The steam acting with the hot carbonaceous material, is decomposed to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases, the latter therefore forming a third source tion of the process with theloss of negligible quantities of the metal through the flue 28, and compensate, for any abnormally rapid movement of the gases and vapors through the carbonaceous material.

The agent introduced throughthe pipe 38 may consist of any 'suitablesubstance such as a gas or liquid adapted to act with materials in the conduit to promote reduction and condensation of the metals, and particularly to effect production of hydrogen to act as a re ducing agent.

' It is desirable to exclude oxygen from the i condenser, and accordingly the valves 30are adapted to seal the condenser from the atmosphere. These valves may be readily opened when it is desired to introduce fresh charges of carbon into the condenser. Similarly, the

valve4 prevents the introduction of air into the condenser through the top of the blast furnace due to the stack or dra-ft'efiect created by the fanassociated with the flue 28."

The only air provided is that which is'fed through the tuyeres, and this air passes through the central or active zone of the blast furnace to continue the proper combustion of the fuel therein.

While I have described in detail the preferred form of my invention it is to be understood that the form of apparatus shown and described and the details of procedure may be varied Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described including a chamber having an inlet for volareduction. and contilizedinetal products, and including alhranch leadinlgidownwardly' from said 'in letandan V upwa lyfextending discharge branch, a" collecting' basin connecting said branches and w having a'lateral outletat 'its'b'ottomg and a reservoir exterior to the conduit communi= eating with' the basin throughgthe' -out let thereof and including means] for maintaim 'ing a liquidlevel in the basin of the basin.

2; In apparatus for treating metallic ores,

s a condenser includinga'floor and parallel ver tical walls forming a chamber and having' rebelow the top spectively inlet and outlet openings spaced 2 7 from saidfloorfapvertical partition pa-rallel with said walls and 'ihavinga' lower "edge spa'ced'from the fioorjto'forminlet and dis'- r chargecportions, of said chamber and a pas' sage connectingthe chamber portionsyineans sealing the upper ends of s'aidchamber'pon tions, means for maintain-ing leveljo fj liquid below said'loweredgefof the'p'artition, and means for passing rvapo'ro'us'products includ ing metallic vapors through said-inlet chainber portion'for movement through the passage and dischargeportion. V

3.- Inapparatus for-treating metallic ores, V a condenser having a; liquid outlet adjacent said'floor, and including a floor and parallel verticalwalls forming a chamber and having respectively vapor inlet and outlet openings 7 spaced from said floor, a vertical partition parallel with said walls and having a lower edge spaced from the floor to form inlet and discharge portions of said chamber and a passage connecting the chamber portions, means sealing the upper ends of said chamber por- Ice tions, reducing means in said inlet chamber portion, and means 1ncludmg a nozzle located to discharge into the chamber for introduc inga fluid treating agent into said reducing means. 1

4. 'A condenser for metallic vapors having its a U shaped channel forming an inlet branch having a vapor port and an outlet branch having a vapor port, and a transversebranch, said ports being spaced substantially above the transverse'branch, said condenser having a liquid outlet at the bottom of said trans-,

verse branch, and means for maintaining a level of liquid in said transverse branch below the top thereof for movement ofvapors {hrough sald transverse branch above the iquid.

5. Apparatus of the character described including a bottom wall, a front wall having an inlet for metallic vapors, a rear wall spaced from the front wall to define a condensing chamber and having an outletfor waste gases and a lower edge spaced from the bottom wall to provide a llquid outlet, a' reservoir com municating with the chamber through said liquid outlet and including a wall having an upper edge extending above the lower edge of the rear wall. to maintain a liquid level in 44 I a suage {Elie mlijam ilf, sen intermediate Wall in said ehamhenseahngly dividing :the chamber into inlet andnutlet -branehes' and having a lower gdge s paced vs'ubsigantially above the plane, of

- bhe upperiedgelofsaid;reserv0ir wall to pro; Ari-idea passageebetween-the branches above the leyel of liquid in the -chamber-, and means ineluding anezzle located in the condensing I flhilmber for discharging treating fluid into .1 the chamber.

:.6 Inapparatuswf the charaeterdescfibed, v i i l a metallicvaporcondenser comprising walls imming a cha iv nga la r l inlet for ivqlafiilized metal produetsand including a l .hrra neh extending w wa ly o sa l let iorlcqnducting volatilized v products ,in a 1 downward direction and an upwardly extending discharge zbranch having avapor-outlet, 1 I n a cellecti g bas n-f m ng a Vap P ag 5 a egnneqting the lower ends of said branches and provided-With a liquid outlet, means for eqntr lling-movement of liquid from said liq- .u'id mutlet to maintain aliquidlevel in ,the

basin belowthe top of said passage for per- 35 mitting vapors to pass over the liquid in the basin, and means in said downwardly extend ingb sanchfontreating saidrpl'0 llcts.

1 n gtestimony whereof I aifix my signature. ab EVANS BUSKETT, 

